This tool helps you check two useful signals of cardiovascular fitness:
Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and Heart Rate Recovery (HRR).
Resting heart rate (RHR)
RHR is how many times your heart beats per minute at rest. It’s best measured
first thing in the morning before caffeine, ideally after a normal night’s sleep.
How to check RHR
Manually: find your pulse (wrist or neck), count beats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2 (or count for 60 seconds).
With a device: use a watch/strap reading taken while you are truly at rest (ideally your overnight or waking value).
Best practice: take 3–5 mornings and use the lowest stable value.
Heart rate recovery (HRR)
HRR is how quickly your heart rate drops after hard exercise.
We calculate HRR as Max HR − HR at 1/2/3 minutes, and score using the 1-minute drop.
How to run the test (air bike)
Warm up:5 minutes, gradually increasing pace.
Main effort: 12 minutes on an air bike at the hardest sustainable pace you can hold.
Max HR: record the highest HR you reached during the 12 minutes.
Stop + recover: stop pedalling (or pedal very gently if needed to avoid dizziness).
Record HR: capture HR at exactly 1, 2, and 3 minutes after the effort ends.
Safety: if you have chest pain, dizziness, unusual shortness of breath, or a known heart condition, skip max tests and speak with a clinician.
Calculator
Use the highest value you hit during the 12-minute effort.
Shown as: 1-min / 2-min / 3-min drop in bpm.
Overall score
Enter values to calculate.
Notes
Tips and guidance appear here.
Your reading
Resting heart rate (RHR)
Lower is generally better (context matters).
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ThrivingAveragePoor
Heart rate recovery (HRR)
Drop in bpm after stopping (bigger drop is better). Scored at 1 minute.
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PoorAverageThriving
Progress planner
Conservative estimates: progress rates assume Average change over time, helping set realistic expectations.
Estimates assume consistent conditions and measurement. HR metrics are noisy—use a rolling average (e.g., 7–14 days) for RHR and repeat the same HRR protocol.
These cutoffs are simplified “norm-style” bands for coaching context (not diagnosis). Medications, illness, hydration, heat, altitude, and device accuracy can materially change readings.
